TBWA/C/D Taps New Taco Bell Chief

Chris Becker, who once headed up the Taco Bell account at Bozell Worldwide, is returning for an encore performance on the business at TBWA/Chiat/Day. Tom Carroll, president and CEO of TBWA/C/D in Playa del Rey, Calif., has recruited Becker to succeed former account director Pam Keehn, who was named worldwide account director on Apple Computer. Becker is expected to assume his duties as account director later this month. Becker currently serves as svp, group account director at The Lord Group, New York. At that shop, he is the top account person on The Wiz, one of Lord Group's biggest accounts. He could not be reached for comment. "He's going to be a great addition to the Taco Bell team," said Carroll. "Chris brings a great deal of experience in the category to the agency." Becker previously worked on the $200 million Taco Bell account in 1997 at Bozell Worldwide (now Foote, Cone & Belding) in Costa Mesa, Calif., where he was a senior partner and account director. Before that position, he worked on the client side as vice president of advertising services and corporate communications at Hunt-Wesson. Although the account is familiar, Becker will be dealing with new people, including Taco Bell's demanding new chief marketing officer, Kip Knight, who shifted from parent Tricon Global Restaurants' international operations in June. The agency and client were discussing how to take the Chihuahua campaign in a new direction [Adweek, Sept. 13] when Keehn moved. The first change was revealed at a franchisee meeting in Florida last week, where Taco Bell introduced a new tagline for national ad efforts: "Grande taste, loco price. Only at Taco Bell." Earlier efforts from the agency used the line, "Want some?" --with Michael McCarthy and Theresa Howard

Chris Becker, who once headed up the Taco Bell account at Bozell Worldwide, is returning for an encore performance on the business at TBWA/Chiat/Day. Tom Carroll, president and CEO of TBWA/C/D in Playa del Rey, Calif., has recruited Becker to succeed former account director Pam Keehn, who was named worldwide account director on Apple Computer. Becker is expected to assume his duties as account director later this month. Becker currently serves as svp, group account director at The Lord Group, New York. At that shop, he is the top account person on The Wiz, one of Lord Group's biggest accounts. He could not be reached for comment. "He's going to be a great addition to the Taco Bell team," said Carroll. "Chris brings a great deal of experience in the category to the agency." Becker previously worked on the $200 million Taco Bell account in 1997 at Bozell Worldwide (now Foote, Cone & Belding) in Costa Mesa, Calif., where he was a senior partner and account director. Before that position, he worked on the client side as vice president of advertising services and corporate communications at Hunt-Wesson. Although the account is familiar, Becker will be dealing with new people, including Taco Bell's demanding new chief marketing officer, Kip Knight, who shifted from parent Tricon Global Restaurants' international operations in June. The agency and client were discussing how to take the Chihuahua campaign in a new direction [Adweek, Sept. 13] when Keehn moved. The first change was revealed at a franchisee meeting in Florida last week, where Taco Bell introduced a new tagline for national ad efforts: "Grande taste, loco price. Only at Taco Bell." Earlier efforts from the agency used the line, "Want some?" --with Michael McCarthy and Theresa Howard